How to get Google Stadia working on non-Pixel devices [Root]

Google Stadia was heavily advertised to be the future of gaming. But it seems like reality is often disappointing, as Google’s cloud gaming service has been plagued with issues since its public release. Users who pre-ordered the Stadia Founder Edition didn’t receive it on the launch date, and the ones shipped didn’t have the activation code in the box. Some launch features like Crowd Play, Stream Connect, Subscription-gifting, Game achievement notifications are missing at the time of this writing. Users are also reporting about poor image quality, upscaled 4K resolution, and noticeably worse in-game graphics compared to the current-gen consoles. There haven’t been any complaints about the input lag, but Google is listening to its customers and working hard to fix these problems.

One huge issue that Google is getting heavily criticized for is the exclusivity of Stadia on Pixel devices. In case you want to stream Stadia games to your smartphone, you need to own a device from the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, or the latest Pixel 4 lineup. The solution to this is to use Chrome Browser in desktop mode and run the web version of Stadia, except the fact that controllers won’t work.

However, there is another workaround to this issue, and it supposedly works fine on non-Pixel devices. In this guide, we are going to show you how to get Google Stadia working on any Android device. There are some modifications you have to make to your Android device, but other than that, it is a straightforward process.

Prerequisites

In order to use the Stadia app on a non-Pixel device, you have to root your Android smartphone. Rooting essentially gives you administrative permissions over the Linux kernel and lets you make modifications to the Android operating system. There are hundreds of rooting guides on almost all Android devices, and following one will definitely help you root your phone. We recommend you to visit the XDA Developers forum and search for the rooting guide corresponding to your device.

Important Note:Rooting your device will void your warranty (varies from manufacturer to manufacturer). A small mistake can possibly brick your device and put it in an unrecoverable state. We won’t be responsible for your blunders.

Flash Magisk via a custom recovery. There are several guides for it on the XDA forum.

Download and install the latest version of the Google Stadia app on your device. You can grab the latest APK file from APKMirror.

Guide to use Google Stadia on Non-Pixel Devices

The Google Stadia app checks for two system properties to confirm if you own a Pixel device. Altering the properties will give you access to the Stadia service. Here’s how to do it:

Launch Magisk Manager on your device, assuming that you have met the requirements above.

Click the hamburger icon (≡) above and tap Downloads.

Search for the MagiskHide Props Config module by tapping the magnifying glass icon.

Tap the download icon next to the module to download and install it on your device.

Reboot your device to apply the changes.

After that, launch Terminal Emulator on your device, then enter “props” using the on-screen keyboard. If you are using ADB, connect your device to your PC, enable USB debugging, then launch a command prompt and type the same.

Now enter “5” to add or modify custom props. Again enter “n” to add a new custom prop.

Enter “ro.product.model” to edit this prop.

Next, enter the value “Pixel 4” for ro.product.model.

Enter “y” to confirm the modifications to the prop.

Then enter “n” as we have to modify one more prop before rebooting.

Repeat the steps above, but now instead of editing “ro.product.model,” we have to edit the “ro.product.manufacturer” prop. The value should also be replaced with “Google” instead of “Pixel 4.”

Once you do it, enter “y” to reboot your phone.

After the reboot, launch Terminal Emulator and run these commands to confirm if the values are “Pixel 4” and “Google” respectively:

getprop ro.product.model

getprop ro.product.manufacturer

If you have managed to change the values successfully, then you should be able to use Google Stadia to play games with a controller on your non-Pixel device without any issues. Streaming issues are solely based on your internet speed and location. It has nothing to do with devices.

Finishing Up

Google will most probably patch this workaround to use Google Stadia on other Android devices with the next update. But for now, you can enjoy console games on your smartphone via Google’s cloud gaming service. We have covered the guide in simple words so that you won’t encounter any issues while following the steps. If you face any, then let us know in the comments below. We will try our best to reply to your queries.

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